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Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is found in every human cell, particularly in the cells of the heart. An important nutrient that functions like a vitamin, CoQ10, which is also known as ubiquinone, is produced within the body where it generates energy for cell growth and maintenance. CoQ10 is a potent antioxidant that protects cells from premature ageing.
In 2007, an Australian study looked at the role of CoQ10 in managing elevated blood pressure. Published in the Journal of Human Hypertension, the meta-analysis reviewed existing studies and trials relating to the basic research hypothesis: Does CoQ10 help lower high blood pressure?
The research team, headed by F. L. Rosenfeldt of the Cardiac Surgical Research Unit at Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, analysed the results from 12 clinical trials, including three randomized control studies, one crossover study and eight open-label studies, to see the impact that CoQ10 therapy had on hypertension.
In the randomized studies, the researchers found that before treatment, the mean systolic blood pressure among the 130 participants (with and without hypertensive medications) measured 167.7 mm Hg, while their diastolic pressure averaged 92 mm Hg.
Participants were given a placebo or 100 to 120 mg daily of CoQ10 for eight to twelve weeks. Following treatment, the CoQ10 group experienced a mean reduction in systolic and diastolic pressures of 15 mm Hg and 5 mm Hg, respectively.
Similar trends emerged in both the crossover and open-label studies. For example, the crossover results showed a 11 mm Hg decrease in systolic and a 8 mm Hg decrease in diastolic pressures; in the open label studies, the mean systolic blood pressure went from 162 to 148.6 and the mean diastolic pressure dropped from 97.1 to 86.8.
In summary, the researchers stated that among hypertensive patients, CoQ10 lowered systolic pressure by 17 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by up to 10 mm Hg without significant side effects.
While the analysis is based on a relatively small sample, it supports the growing list of accepted health benefits from regular CoQ10 use. Health Canada, for example, states that CoQ10:
• helps maintain and/or support cardiovascular health (Rosenfeldt et al. 2007; Baggio et al. 1994; Langsjoen et al. 1988),
• helps reduce the frequency of migraine headaches and associated nausea and vomiting (Hershey et al. 2007; Sandor et al. 2005; Rozen et al. 2002), and
• serves as an antioxidant (Kalpravidh et al. 2005; Rosenfeldt et al. 2005; Crane 2001; Chello et al. 1994) for the maintenance of good health.
Found in many foods, CoQ10 occurs in greatest concentrations in organ meats, peanuts, sardines and mackerel. The body’s own ability to produce CoQ10 declines with age and can be affected by certain medications, which leads many scientists, including CoQ10 co-discoverer Frederick Crane to note that “nutritional replenishment of coenzyme Q requires a higher level than is available in most food.”
Sources: F L Rosenfeldt, S J Haas, H Krum, A Hadj, K Ng, J-Y Leong and G F Watts,” Journal of Human Hypertension (2007), “Coenzyme Q10 in the treatment of hypertension: a meta-analysis of the clinical trials,” Volume 21, pages 297–306.
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